One-pot synthesis of 1-butylpyrrolidine and its derivatives from aqueous ammonia and 1,4-butandiol over CuNiPd/ZSM-5 catalysts

Abstract

The synthesis of 1-butylpyrrolidine and its derivatives (1-butylpyrrolidine with a little of 1-butenylpyrrolidines) was developed via a one-pot method from ammonia and 1,4-butandiol. Here, the product of 1-butylpyrrolidine was emphatically investigated, and the yield was 76% under the optimized conditions. Such a route was realized through successive N-alkylation using aqueous ammonia as the nitrogen source over the CuNiPd/ZSM-5 catalyst, which was prepared by a simple incipient wetness method. In this route, 1,4-butandiol not only participated in the formation of the N-heterocycle, but also acted as an alkylating reagent. This work offers a straightforward, economical route for 1-butylpyrrolidine and its derivatives.